James "Jim" Joseph McNichol, of Essex Junction, VT, passed away on March 28, 2023, surrounded by his loving family. A first-generation American born to James and Mary Elizabeth McNichol in Brooklyn, NY on August 1, 1932, Jim attended Regis High School before graduating from St. John's University. While at St. John's he met Joan Heaney at a dance, and he proposed on Thanksgiving Day, 1955. Jim's sister Marie was engaged to his best friend Warren Nolan at the same time, leading the Long Island Daily Press to publish a joint engagement announcement under the headline "Cupid Strikes Twice." (Jim and Warren had met at Regis.) Jim and Joan were married at the Church of St. Monica in Manhattan on June 29, 1957.

As newlyweds, they lived in Cambridge, MA, while Jim completed his master's in physics degree at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. As a student, he worked with Bell Labs at Maryland's Aberdeen Proving Ground. After MIT, he began his long career with IBM, initially in White Plains, NY. In 1966, Jim and Joan moved their family from New York to Essex Junction, VT, where they raised four children. In the early 1970s Jim was pleased to be able to obtain his master's in electrical engineering at UVM while continuing his work at IBM. He eventually became a senior engineer and manager, and he was a mentor and friend to many fellow IBMers over his 36 years there. Retirement was not in Jim's nature, however, so following IBM he shared his extensive knowledge of computer chip design for another 10 years as a private contractor and as an instructor at Vermont Technical College. He was proud to be recognized in 2008 as Vermont's "outstanding older worker" with an award conferred by Senators Patrick Leahy and Bernie Sanders.

Throughout his life, Jim was dedicated to his family and to service. He coached Little League and refereed youth hockey, and supported his children in their many endeavors. He also served as a lector at Holy Family Church in Essex Junction and later as a Eucharistic Minister at Saint Michael the Archangel Chapel at St. Michael's College, where he and Joan regularly attended Mass. And, of course, he loved spending time in Brewster, MA, Savannah, GA, and Sitka, AK with his children and their families whom he loved fiercely.

Jim leaves behind his four children and their families to cherish his memory: Trish (Gifford) Lorenz of Savannah, GA; Cathy (Peter) Kelley of Williston, VT; Peter McNichol (Lee Wheeler) of Ferrisburgh, VT; and Jennifer McNichol (John Baciocco) of Sitka, AK. Jim had deep affection for his grandchildren: Zachary (Jennie), Patrick, and Abigail Lorenz; Siobhan and Liam Kelley; and Colin and Dominic Baciocco. He will also be dearly missed by his honorary brother, Reg Wilcox, and fellow breakfast-club buddy, Gary Pittman, as well as by numerous nieces and nephews. Jim is predeceased by his beloved wife Joan (in September 2022), as well as by his parents, sister Marie, and her husband, Warren Nolan.

The family is eternally grateful to Jim's care team, particularly Drs. Karen Fromhold and Diana Barnard, and everyone else at Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing in Middlebury. A Funeral Mass will be held at the Chapel of Saint Michael the Archangel at Saint Michael's College in Colchester on April 15, 2023 at 1 pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations to the Addison County Respite Care Home (ARCH) at the Helen Porter Rehabilitation and Nursing facility are suggested (www.portermedical.org/donate, or mailed to: Office of Development, Porter Medical Center, 115 Porter Drive, Middlebury VT 05753, with a memo to designate gifts to Palliative Care/ARCH). To otherwise honor Jim, the family suggests attending a baseball game and keeping score on a scorecard, or taking a long walk on your favorite beach.